City Council Speaker Christine Quinn called the attack extremely upsetting and completely unacceptable.

“The 6th Precinct is aggressively looking for this perpetrator with the Hate Crimes Task Force and you can rest assured the police will apprehend this perpetrator and they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Quinn said. “We’re just not going to tolerate this kind of behavior.”

The West Village eatery is where many gay, lesbian and transgender young people hang out at night, and that’s why leaders at the New York City Anti-Violence Project said they are pushing city officials to open safe spaces and community centers for these youth.

“If people understood how dangerous it was for LGBT youth in New York City, they would be outraged and they would do something about it,” the Anti-Violence Project’s Sharon Stapel told CBS 2’s Schneider.

“I live my life as a normal life. I take care of my responsibilities. I work my job and for you to treat me like that when I didnt do anything, it’s not fair,” Griffin said.

And while McLeod is permanently scarred now, physically and emotionally, he said he’s also pleading for tolerance.

“I think there should be more unity no matter what you choose to do in your life,” McLeod said.

The suspect is believed to be 35 to 40 years old, about 5-foot-10 and weighing between 300 and 350 pounds.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or by texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577.